


A Spider In Winter

by hirusen



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxiety Attacks, Attraction, Avengers Tower, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Bisexual Bucky Barnes, Block Party Barbecue, Bucky Barnes Has PTSD, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, Bucky Is No Longer Under HYDRA Control, Canonical Character Death, Crying, Dreams and Nightmares, Drinking, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Falling In Love, Fear, Flirting, Fourth of July, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Getting Back Together, Getting along, Language, Listening To A Heartbeat, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Masturbation, Older Man/Younger Man, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Peter Is Interested In Bucky's Arm, Peter Parker Exploring His Sexuality, Peter Parker is Legal, Post-Infinity War, Protective Bucky Barnes, Sharing a Bed, Spooning, Teen Crush, Thanos Is Beaten, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Touching, Underage Drinking, friendly neighborhood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-06 01:28:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15183719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hirusen/pseuds/hirusen
Summary: Bucky wasn't surprised at how quickly he and Peter Parker became friends. What did surprise him was how quickly he was starting to fall for the kid.





	1. Curious

**Author's Note:**

> So, I have kinda fallen out of keeping up with all of the Marvel movies, but I've seen plenty of clips from YouTube to know a general of what's happening, and...I'm just not gonna watch Infinity War until I've caught up with the others.
> 
> In the meantime, let me try to mend the anguish everyone is feeling with some happy times and a ship very few people have considered cause that's just how my mind works!

Everyone was breathing a huge sigh of relief. Starlord had somehow managed to contain his rage after hearing that Thanos had killed his lover Gamora in order to obtain one of the Infinity Stones long enough for Tony and Peter to remove the gauntlet and destroy it. The remaining Guardians of the Galaxy detained Thanos and left to bring him to face the proper justice that he wouldn't face here on Earth. It took a little while for everyone to recover from what happened, but it meant a lot of time to kinda get to know the people Peter didn't.

As of right now, he was currently sitting on a cheap folding chair that Steve had bought for the block party Tony was throwing. It was the 4th of July and Iron Man knew how jumpy Steve, Bucky, Clint, and Bruce get around the holiday so he thought it would be best for them to spend it with people they cared about. They were at one of the many houses Tony has, on the corner of a pretty nice and friendly neighborhood, who were all invited to come and join if they wanted; which was why there was seven kids running around, playing tag with Natasha, Clint, and Thor.

"Kiddo! What did you want on your hot dog?" Parker heard Tony bark over all of the pleasant noise, the 18 year old popping to his feet and jogging over to his father figure. "Just ketchup." "Just ketchup? Really? I thought you said you liked cheese on your hot dogs?" Peter laughed lightly at that. "I do, but not tonight." Tony smiled at him and dressed the bun with two quick lines of ketchup before offering the empty bun to the one manning the grill. Which, to Peter's surprise, was Bucky. "You want an ear of corn too?" He asked, that little smile on his lips that Peter knows all too well. "No, I'm good." Bucky shrugged. "Suit yourself. Steve seasoned them." Tony cooed at that, both men knowing what he's gonna be having.

Peter moved to the table that had all of the other sides and treats, and added a small scoop of potato salad onto his plate, along with two of the cookies Natasha made and grabbed a can of Dr. Pepper before heading back to his spot. Just as he was setting down his unopened drink he sensed something flying right towards him at a high speed. He snapped around in time to see Bucky catching the football with one hand, a plate of food in his other, and tossed an annoyed look over to Sam and Rhodey. "Really?" "Sorry, Buck!" Sam called and the Winter Soldier just shook his head with a smirk, tossing the ball back before taking the chair that was next to Spider-Man.

"...Nice catch." Peter shyly spoke, Barnes glancing at him in concern. "You okay?" "Huh? O-Oh yeah, I'm just..." Bucky's expression softened as he lightly patted the teenager's arm. "It's okay to still be a little flustered about things. I get that I'm handsome and can't keep people off me." Peter sputtered, his eyes falling onto Bucky's steel blues and felt his cheeks turn even redder, which only made Bucky laugh. "God, I wish I could be there on your first date!" "Shut up!" Parker growled, playfully pushing at Bucky's left arm. Barnes was forever grateful for this kid; yes, he--just like all the others--recognized that Bucky had a metal arm, but unlike everyone else, Peter was just so  _fascinated_ by it. He cannot tell you how many times he's been bombarded with questions from the kid, never seeing that he was scared of him or his arm; in fact, he would touch his metal arm as causally as he would his flesh one.

"Why so much?" Peter asked after seeing what was on Bucky's plate: a hot dog, an ear of corn, a scoop of both macaroni and potato salad, three cookies, and a hamburger he paused mid-bite of. "Super Solider, remember? I burn more calories than you do." "Oh, right." Peter smiled to Bucky, seeing as the older man returned the grin and they ate in half silence, both of them making a little bit of small talk since Bucky wasn't totally comfortable with too much quiet when he's around a lot of people; it reminded him too much of times he's still trying to fully accept.

Peter watched as Bucky went to get them another can of their chosen drink, Bucky cracking open his can of beer in one hand easily as he handed Parker his second can of soda. "...Is that good?" Peter asked, gesturing to the ear of corn that was half eaten on Bucky's plate. "You wanna try a bite?" He asked, holding it up for the younger to take. Peter, instead of taking it out of Bucky's hand, carefully covered the hand holding the food with his own, using his free hand to steady the food before taking a large bite out of it. "...Oh wow. That _is_ good." Bucky chuckled, taking a bite himself before moving to finish off his burger. The solider glanced over to Peter when he felt him staring at him, and saw that his eyes were locked onto his metal arm, which was now black.

"So...T'Challa gave you that?" "Mm-hm. The people of Wakanda helped get HYDRA out of my head and it's kinda become a third home for me." "What are the first two?" "Brooklyn and Romania." "Wait, you're Romanian?" Bucky hummed. "Family's from Bucharest, but came to New York and got a house in Brooklyn; it wasn't too long after we moved in that I stumbled across Steve and became close friends." "Was he the one who taught you English?" "More like helped me get rid of most of my accent, but yeah. I had to translate a lot of stuff for my mother, so I became pretty fluent in it fast." Bucky saw that little gleam in the kid's eyes and sighed.  _Here we go..._

"So, was Steve always like that? Or was he different?" "He was a  _lot_ different. Still had the same heart and morals, but he was much shorter and scrawnier than he is now." Peter giggled at that. He was having a hard time imagining Steve being kinda like him. Bucky moved his eyes away from Peter to gaze upon his closest friend and felt himself smiling when he saw that Steve was working the grill at the moment, Tony's hand resting on the small of his back, both men smiling. Everyone who had helped Steve when the accords were put in place owed Tony big time since he was able to clear all of them of their charges and have them welcomed back into America. Barnes moved his eyes back to the youth when he felt the tips of his fingers gently trace the outside of the wrist of his metal arm.

"Sorry!" Peter quickly retracted his touch and looked away, seemingly embarrassed that he had been caught. "...Tell you what, we finish eating and I'll let you do what you want with my arm. Fair?" Peter's head snapped back around so fast Bucky though he broke his neck. "Fair!" But before Peter could jump his food, Bucky's left hand curled under the teen's chin and turned his head so they were facing each other; Bucky didn't miss the way Peter's face turned a dark red, nor how his pulse quickened as he felt it race under his fingertips. "And no rushing. We're here to enjoy everything going on. I know you're eager to get your hands on me, but have patience, sweetheart." He cooed, gently sliding his fingers away from the teen, seeing as he bit his lower lip and shivered.

"You are such a shameless flirt..!" "Tony's worse." Peter barked out a laugh before muffling it with his hand, his shoulders still bouncing with his laughter. Bucky smirked and ruffled the boy's hair, the duo going back to enjoying both the food and the company around them. Peter was just about finished with his food when he saw Bucky taking a long swig of his beer. The older man noticed that the other was staring at him again and when he saw what he was looking at, he let out a slow breath. "One sip and you do  **not** tell anyone." Bucky flatly stated as he handed the teen his half empty beer. He watched the other bring the can to his lips and tip it back enough to get a mouthful; Barnes smirked when he saw Parker's face twist in disgust as he managed to choke down the beer, coughing a little as he handed it back.

"God, how and why do you guys drink that? It tastes awful!" "Well, it's a taste I don't mind. And don't you dare start drinking, you little punk. If I catch you drinking, smoking, or doing any drug your doctor hasn't given to you outside of the correct amount you're suppose to take, I will bend you over my knee and spank you until you can't sit down, you hear me?" "Y-Yes, Sir!" Bucky let his tone calm down and his shoulders slump after he heard that; he promised Tony that he'd help keep an eye on the kid since he and Peter had become pretty fast friends. They finished their food and Bucky took their empty plates away, tossing them into the trashcan Tony had brought outside since that's where they all were.

As he sat back down, he let his eyes drift over to Peter and gave him a warm smile, offering up his metal arm. "Free reign, kid." Peter's mouth opened and closed for a moment before he nodded his head, letting his hands drift over the arm, but not touch it yet. He's always thought that Bucky's metal arm was awesome, but he's always been conscious of how he touches it; he knows that the ex-military man still had some PTSD and could still have an episode triggered, so he tried to keep any contact he makes on the unnatural limb short. But now that he was allowed to do what he wants with it, Peter quickly finds himself gently pushing the strap of fabric of Bucky's tank top up and away from his shoulder, exposing where his arm attached to his body. Bucky keeps himself calm when Peter traced the scars around his arm, noting that the teen kept a feather touch as he followed the numerous lines. "...They look lighter." "Do they?" Bucky asked and Parker nodded.

"It seems like the skin's been healing a little better for a while." Bucky didn't say anything as the hand that had been on his scars now touched the top of his metal arm, slowly trailing them down the limb, seeing that Peter was taking in all of the details. He let him turn his arm so his palm was now face up and started to draw little shapes and patterns into the metal, Bucky shivering at the sensations they caused. "Sorry." "It's okay. It...actually feels kinda nice." Not like that really surprised him, the years he's spent under HYDRA's control have left him touch-starved, so any time Peter had touched him, it sent the most wonderful of sensations through his body. Peter gave him a hesitant smile before he started tracing little lines on the inside of his wrist, drawing where the lines of his palm should have been.

It was a shock to Bucky when Peter laced their hands together, squeezing as tight as he could before turning his gaze back to Bucky. "It's beautiful, Bucky." "...Yeah?" "Yeah." Bucky grinned brightly at the teen, locking his eyes with Peter's chocolate hues. They didn't say anything else, just held hands as they watched the others mill about.

* * *

Tony was in the middle of setting off another firework when Bucky felt something thump against his shoulder. Glancing over as the firework went off, he saw as the bright light and colors danced over Parker's face, highlighting his boyish charm as well as his inherent beauty of his sleeping face, completely relaxed. The Winter Solider had noticed then that Peter's hand was now gripping his own loosely, his fingers barely holding on between his metal ones. "He okay?" Tony asked when he spotted Bucky scooping the 18 year old into his arms.

"Yeah. I'm surprised he managed to fall asleep with all of the fireworks, but he did. I'll take him inside." "Why don't you get some sleep too, Buck?" Steve spoke up and his friend rolled his eyes at him. "I'm not tired, Stevie." "Bucky..." He warned and Barnes sighed in defeat. "...Alright." Bucky quickly made his way inside, heading towards the back of the house since that's where a couple of the guest bedrooms are. He laid Peter down on the bed, but was a bit stuck when the kid didn't release his hand, seeming to have an iron grip on it. Bucky tried to tenderly pry his hand out of Parker's, but stilled when the kid whimpered at the attempts. "Stay...please..." He hushed in his sleep and Bucky chewed on his lip at the desperation in the boy's words.

With a deep sigh, Bucky carefully laid himself behind Parker, spooning the younger man so their hands stayed connected and he wasn't straining Peter's arm, tucking his flesh one under the pillow. "Good night, kid." "...Night..." He muttered, scooting back a little so their bodies were basically formed together. Bucky chuckled under his breath at the action before relaxing his body and joining the teenager in slumber.


	2. Tease

Bucky ignored the glances from the people in the lobby of the Avenger's Tower; Tony had hired a great staff to make sure things were running smoothly, but nearly half of them were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who knew  _exactly_ who he was and what he could do, so a lot of them were always wary of him. The rest of the staff were just civilians who kept their distance because of his metal arm. And the reason Bucky was in the lobby? He was getting the mail for everyone in the Tower.

Yeah, Tony's told him that he's already got people who sorted all of the mail and were tasked with delivering it to their rooms, but after an incident were a rather...interesting magazine managed to find its way into Peter's room rather than Clint's, Bucky decided it might be best if one of them actually goes and gets the mail and he was more than happy to do so. "Afternoon, Mr. Barnes!" One of the staff who was no longer bugged by his arm greeted, a warm smile on his lips. "Hey." "I'm guessing you're here for the usual?" Bucky chuckled with a nod and he was handed the large, plastic container that was filled with all of their mail. Because some of them had a  **lot** more mail than others (Tony Stark), the staff just separates it all with pieces of paper so they don't get mixed up.

Barnes thanked the man and then left the lobby area, going back to the first of many floors that housed all of the Avengers. He always started with the top floor of all of their rooms and worked his way down since the pile of mail is usually a paper weight once he gets to the third floor of the living quarters. He wasn't surprised at the near mountain of mail Tony had, doing a quick glance over each piece and throwing away the ones he knows Tony won't bother with; the man did have an actual trashcan outside of his room for that purpose alone.

Next up was Bruce and while he didn't have a much as Tony (no one had as much as Tony, ever), he still had a healthy amount, Bucky noticing that he had re-subscribed to a magazine he used to like a lot. Steve came after that, his pile usually just stuff he had one of the others buy off Amazon so he could try and catch up with the culture and history he's missed while he was frozen in ice; if he had something that he thought Bucky would like, he'd usually find it on his bed after Steve was done with it. Clint and Natasha were next, and both had identical piles, expect Natasha had a travel magazine to replace the...interesting one Clint had.

After them was Sam, Rhodey, Vision, Wanda, and T'Challa. They all had just a couple pieces of mail with a magazine or two thrown in, so it was a quick thing for Bucky to do. Which left his own mail and Peter's. He decided to just take both piles and drop off the container back in the lobby. When he came back he flipped through his stuff; just a couple pieces of junk mail, a package that most likely had the information HYDRA had of him that he requested so he could understand and try to recover his lost memories, and then the two magazines he actually read. One was a gun magazine and the other was a knife magazine; Tony had teased him about both, but he really likes the knife one just because he's actually developed a kinda nervous habit of toying with a knife.

Bucky honestly can't tell you when that started, but anytime he's becoming stressed out or feels the start of an episode crawl over him, he'll pull out one of the many knives he keeps on his person and start to twirl it between his fingers and do tricks if it's one of his butterfly knives. All that was left now was Peter's mail and the kid only had one thing: his final report card. Peter's been waiting for this for a good two months, eager to know if he needed to take that summer class after all; Peter was missing two credits in his English, and a credit and a half in his Social Studies, but Tony had convinced the school to let him graduate with his class in exchange for his teachers giving Peter a much harder assignment towards the end of the school year to make up the missing credits. Bucky took a moment to open up the sealed item and what he found on it was something he needed to discuss with the teen.

* * *

Peter was tinkering with an old invention of his when a sudden knock on his door made him nearly jump out of his skin. "W-Who is it?" 'It's Bucky. Can I come in?' He heard the older man's voice through the door and Peter sprung to his feet, quickly unlocking the door. "Yeah." He stepped back as the door opened and saw Bucky, giving his fast friend a smile, but it died off when he saw the look on his face. "Is everything okay?" "...We need to talk." Peter swallowed nervously, but nodded his head, moving away from the door so Bucky could come inside.

He shut the door behind him and moved to lean against the desk Peter had just been at, the teen instantly on his bed with his head hanging a little lower. "This came in today." Bucky started, holding up the report card for Peter to see. Barnes saw as Peter's shoulders slumped, his head falling down as well as his eyes. "I took a look at it so you wouldn't be able to lie to Tony; after all, he's been waiting on this too." "I...I know." God, Bucky didn't think the kid would sound so defeated. "...What did it say?"

"You passed."

Peter wasn't sure he heard that right. "...What?" "You passed." Peter finally looked up at Bucky, thinking this man has lost it since when he saw the older man's face, his expression was so grim and full of worry. He thought the man was lying...until he noticed he was fighting off a smirk. "You fucker!" Peter shouted as he lunged at the Winter Solider, the man finally breaking into laughter as he easily caught him in his arms, quickly stepping away from the desk and spinning the kid around for a moment. "Oh, you serious?!" "Yeah! Take a look." He handed the piece paper to the teen and just watched as his face lit up.

Despite everything Peter's been through, the kid managed to get A's in Math and Science, and B's in everything else; only now, he had all of his credits and a 3.6 GPA. "Oh my GOD! Yes! Oh, I've got to tell Mr. Stark!" Bucky chuckled, ruffling Peter's hair to get his attention. "Why don't you try one of the labs? He mentioned he and Bruce were gonna work on one of the many projects they have." "Alright. Thank you so much, Bucky!" Peter squealed as his arms wrapped around Bucky, but while he returned the hug, Bucky noticed something that sent an odd pulse through his body.

The teen slipped out of his arms and ran off to relay to Tony the good news. And Bucky just stood there, the phantom sensation of Peter's slender arms still wrapped around his middle. He knew the kid was smaller than him, as well as shorter, but...Bucky wasn't sure what that pulse he felt really was; he felt an even stronger urge to protect Peter, but strangely, he also felt a tingle of arousal with that urge, his thoughts drifting to just how easy it would be for him to overpower and dominate the kid.  _No. Don't go there._ Bucky mentally scolded as he shook his head, quickly leaving the teenager's room before he did something, whatever it was he didn't want to know.


	3. Parental

Peter groaned as he was flung to the ground, rolling onto his feet, his eyes settling on Clint. "Come on, kid! Is that all you got?" They were sparring at the moment, since Peter wanted to improve his fighting style and Clint was feeling restless. Peter lunged at Clint, feinting an uppercut so he could score a swift kick to the older man's ribs; he grunted, but quick-stepped into Peter's space and socked him in the jaw, both of them hearing as his teeth clicked together as he was knocked back, landing hard on his back.

As Parker got to his feet, neither male noticed the door to the sparring area opening and closing, nor the person who came into the area until a boot was greeting Clint's face in the form of a round-house kick, sending the archer flying across the mat, bouncing off of it a couple of times before coming to a stop only ten feet from the wall. "Peter! Are you okay?!" It was Bucky. He was running over to Peter, seeing as the boy staggered a little before his arm was under his shoulders, holding him up. "Y-Yeah. Yeah, I'm good." "If you were good, you wouldn't be bleeding." Peter hadn't even noticed that he was until Bucky pointed it out.

"I think he's done for today, Hawkeye." Barnes spoke, but when the other tried to argue, the Winter Solider gave him an icy death glare. Parker saw that Barton quickly raised his hands in surrender before the teen squeaked as Bucky scooped him up and carried him out of the area and back to his room.

* * *

Peter admits that he's never been in Bucky's room before. Yes, the duo have talked outside of the man's room, even in the doorway, but Peter respected Bucky and didn't intrude where he thought he wasn't wanted. It wasn't what he pictured it to be at all. There was a bookshelf that was stuffed with books from the 30's and 40's, as well as more recent ones. He had a desk that was littered with small pieces of something, a reading chair that had a large blanket draped over it, another desk that had a knife block and what looked like a million papers on it, and queen sized bed that had black and dark blue sheets, a dark brown nightstand settled beside it.

Peter was set down on the bed and he watched as Bucky disappeared through another door that was in the room, coming back with a first aid kit. Bucky felt as Spider-Man's body heated up as he stripped him out of his shorts and t-shirt, leaving the lean muscled teenager in his briefs, but that's not what had the man's interest. What did was the numerous cuts, scrapes, and bruises that littered the kid's body. "That asshole doesn't hold back for shit..." Bucky growled under his breath as he pulled out an alcohol wipe and carefully disinfected all of the cuts and scrapes, frowning deeply and apologizing every time Peter hissed in pain and flinched.

Bucky's hands were gentle as he applied neosporin to a cut, bandaged it, and moved on to the next. Peter couldn't move his eyes from the older man, seeing the deep worry in his steel blues, the way he chewed his lip before apologizing whenever Peter felt pain. Barnes inspected all of the scrapes and dressed the ones that looked the worse or weren't in the nicest of spots, keeping any further irritation down as best as he could. Peter found himself holding his breath when Bucky's hands cradled his face, examining his busted lip and scraped cheek.

Bucky felt against his fingertips Peter's heartbeat racing as he slowly dragged the thumb of his flesh hand over the split in his lower lip, smearing away the blood enough to see the damage, which thankfully wasn't too bad. "...Looks worse than it is, but try to avoid chapping your lips for a little bit." Bucky told him, but Peter wasn't really paying attention to his words. The teen was more focused on his strong jaw, how soft his lips looked, his enticing 5 o'clock shadow, his sharp cheekbones, and just how intense and gorgeous his eyes were. A few strands of his long hair fell into his face and Peter sucked in a sharp breath when Bucky gave him that playful smirk with hinted bedroom eyes. "See something you like, babydoll?"

Peter's face turned rose red and he snapped his head down, forcing himself to break eye contact with the older, and now obviously more experienced, man.  _No! No, body please! Please, just...work with me right now._ He felt himself start to stir in his briefs, which greatly confused him, but fuck he needed to not spring a boner right now. Bucky handed Peter back his clothes, threading his metal hand through his short, brown hair to get his attention back. "Just teasing. But, next time you want to spar with someone, come find me. I won't hold back, but I also won't hurt you either."

That was the only thing about Clint that annoyed Bucky; the man just didn't know how to restrain his movements enough to not hurt someone. I mean, it could be cause because he's used to sparring with Tasha, and by God does that woman not hold  _anything_ back, but that doesn't mean that someone like Peter, who's still learning his own style of fighting, would be able to avoid getting hit.  _Maybe I should talk to Stark about setting up a training program for Peter..._ At least it might keep him away from Clint's bad sparring habits for a while. "O-Okay. Um...see you around, Bucky." Peter spoke after he pulled his pants back on, darting out of the room quickly; Bucky saw that he was still blushing when he left.


	4. Nightmare

Peter, Tony, Dr. Strange, Starlord, Mantis, and Drax were all on Titan when Parker felt a bizarre wave of...something wash over them. Out of nowhere, Mantis disintegrated into ash, with Drax, Starlord, and Dr. Strange following moments later. "Mr. Stark?" Peter spoke up as he suddenly felt sick, stumbling forward a little bit. "I don't feel so good." Through his Spidey Sense, Peter  _felt_ as each atom that made up his body started to break apart, vanishing seconds later when the bonds that kept them together were no longer there.

"You're alright." Tony reassured, the teen able to see the fear in his hero's eyes. "I-I don't know... I don't know what's happening..!" He informed as he fumbled a few more steps before the strength in his legs was just gone, Tony catching him in his arms and holding him tightly, pressing him against his body. Peter clung to Tony in desperate fear, praying most likely like Tony was in that if he just held onto him, was held by someone he thought of as a father, that maybe,  ** _maybe_** , this cold, numb feeling would go away. But, Peter felt as his body started to sift into ash, sensing that whatever this was wasn't going to stop, and the pure fear of his unavoidable death took hold of him.

"I don't wanna go...I don't wanna go..! Stark, please! Please, I don't wanna go..." He sobbed, so scared, not ready for his life to be over. He just became an Avenger, he was almost out of high school, and he knew that once they had beaten Thanos, that Tony was gonna take him under his wing, give him proper training and access to higher education, to have him and his aunt May live a more comfortable life. But now that was never going to happen. "I don't wanna go..!" He felt as Tony did his best to lower him gently to the ground, the two of them just falling the rest of the way with a thud.

Tony pushed himself up enough for Peter to see him. He didn't what to do. What could he do? He knows that Thanos has achieved what he had set out to do, and now half of the universe was being erased from existence. But, God, why him? Why the kid? Why Peter? Tony's done enough harm to the world, and most likely universe, as it is; why couldn't he be the one to be erased instead? Peter glanced over to Tony, reached up with a hand that was already half ash, and stroked the side of Tony's head as best as he could, offering him a small smile. He recalls the stern words Tony had given him when he took away the suit he had given him. "I'm sorry." He whispered before he felt as every piece of his body turned to ash, before nothingness claimed him.

* * *

Peter jolted awake, soaked in sweat and panting hard. He threw the sheets off his body, throwing the actual door for his room against the wall, and raced for the elevator. He smashed his finger into the button that will take him to the first floor of the R&D section of the Avenger's Tower, knowing that Tony had been working on a big project with Banner for the last two weeks, and knew that Tony tended to stay up an ungodly amount of hours in order to get certain parts done. His footfall echoed too loudly in the empty hallway, the teenager barreling for the lab he knows Tony will be in.

Only, he wasn't there.

"No...no!" The anxiety set in. He had been so worried that his dream had been a warning; a warning that something was going to happen to Tony. And now a man Parker  _knows_ will stay up for DAYS on end just to finish a project wasn't in the place he was suppose to be. His heart started to slam into his ribs before he turned and race back to the elevator. "FRIDAY! Take me to Tony's room!"  _"Of course, Peter."_ The female voice spoke up as he neared the now opening doors, spinning to watch them close.  _"Peter? Are you okay?"_ "No! N-No, I-I... I don't...!" He tried, but he was too panicked to actually say what was going on.

The doors for the elevators slid open and Peter booked it to Stark's room. His door slid open and he was only a little past the door when he paused and saw Tony. He was lounging in his bed, under his sheets with his legs crossed at the ankles, holding a data pad in his hands. "Kid?" He spoke up, a worried look crossing his face from the tears falling down Peter's cheeks. He quickly put down the pad so his arms could wrap around the smaller body that lunged into him, pressing the crying, shaking child against his chest. "Peter, what happened? What's going on?"

"I-I..! I-I, ha-had a d-dre-dream where we di-didn't beat Thanos, an-and I, I-I, I-I-I died! A-And I wa-was s-so, so scared that i-it was a, a, a warning th-that something m-might h-ha-have happened to, to you! S-So I w-went to th-the lab to che-check on you, b-but yo-you weren't there! A-And I, I got r-really sc-scared! S-So, so I had F-FRIDAY b-bring me h-here! And, I'm, I-I'm...! I'm just glad you're safe, Tony!!" Peter sobbed brokenly, Tony hushing him as he rubbed circles into his back, rocking from side to side to try and comfort him. "It's okay, kid. It's okay. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Tony wasn't sure what he should be more distressed over: the fact that Peter had dreamed of his own death, or the fact that dream had Tony more scared about it than the teenager he was holding? Tony's gonna go with option 3 and say both. He'll deal with that later though. "Come here." Peter heard the older man hush and he lifted his head off the man's chest in confusion when he sat him up more. It was cleared up when Tony tossed the sheets off his body enough for Parker to crawl under them, quickly doing so; he felt so much better as the comfortable weight of the soft sheets come on top of him, Tony shifting a little so Peter could rest his head over the man's heart.

Instantly, his anxiety quieted as he began to listen to the man's steady heartbeat, feeling his slow, even breathing as his chest rose and fell. "There we go. Relax, kiddo. I've got you." Tony whispered, reaching up to dim the lights in his room enough so that he could still see Peter, deciding that the project he's been working on can wait until tomorrow for him to continue. Peter felt as Tony moved the data pad off his bed, setting it on the nightstand, before he wiggled the two of them down a little more, Peter  _way_ more comfortable in the new position. "Close your eyes, Petey. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere." "...Thank you, Tony..."

Stark was honestly shocked that he only NOW noticed that Parker was calling him by his first name; he's so used to him calling him Mr. Stark that he really should have spotted that sooner. But, honestly, he wasn't too surprised. The kid was scared, so he was more likely to do or say things in ways he normally wouldn't. He felt as some tears soaked into his night shirt, but he didn't care, he wanted this boy to feel safe, and if that was in his arms, then so be it. Tony pressed a kiss to the crown of Peter's head once he felt his breathing had calmed down and his body was more relaxed. "Any time, Peter."


	5. Someone He Needs

"Oh! I didn't expect to see the two of you up so early. Well, not Tony anyway." Steve spoke up as he spotted both the named man and Peter coming into the commons, the teenager rubbing sleep out of his eyes as Tony yawned loudly. "Yeah, well I actually went to bed at a half decent time." "Really? When does that happen?" Sam teased and Tony rolled his eyes at Falcon, quickly moving to make himself a cup of coffee. "You want a cup, Peter?" "Yeah. Thanks dad."

Um...what?

"What did you say?" Clint asked and Peter looked around confused. "Huh?" "Kid, you just called me 'dad'." Tony clarified and Peter's cheeks went a little pink, quickly shifting his eyes to the floor. "...Peter?" Steve asked and Peter chewed on his lip. "...You really do see me as a father figure, don't you?" Tony asked as he moved out of the kitchen, setting the cup he had made himself down on the counter. "What, no! N-No, I--" "Peter," Tony started, cutting the teenager off mid-sentence, "you came to the lab and then my room looking for me because you were scared that something had happened to me."

"Really?" Natasha asked and Peter nodded his head weakly. "I-I...had dreamed that I had died, but I was so scared that it might have been a warning that something had happened to Tony, and I..." "You just called him Tony." Bruce spoke up and Parker realized that all of the pieces were starting to fall into place for everyone in the room. "Peter?" Steve softly asked and he waited until Spider-Man was looking at him before going on. "Do you look up to Tony as more than just a hero?" "...I...I do."

Peter shifted, feeling as his eyes started to pool with tears, and while he tried to fight against them, his mouth sorta...moved on its own. "I-I mean, yeah, he's a hero of mine, but he's also been there for me when I had to tell someone what was going on and I didn't want to risk putting my aunt or my best friend in anymore danger than they already are. He's given me great advice about things, and...I... I don't know, it just...feels,  **right** I guess to see him as a father." Tony's hands were cupping his face, gently wiping away the rivers of tears with his thumbs as he locked his eyes with the younger man's.

"You lost both of your parents and your uncle pretty quickly; you were scared and felt alone, but you weren't going to let that show, so you still went to the expo I had hosted all those years ago." Peter looked shocked. "You wore a toy Iron Man mask, and even had the toy repulsors to go with it. You were just a child, but you were angry at the bad men who took away your parents and your uncle. You wanted to get back at them, no matter what. You faced that H.A.M.M.E.R. drone without fear." "H-H...How do you know that?" "Aunt May told me." Tony stated and he saw as Peter's lower lip started to tremble.

"I'm telling you this now, my father was an asshole and a jerk, but he taught me one of the greatest lessons ever: to not be like him." Tony gently pulled the teenager into his embrace, and swayed from side to side as he held the crying kid. "If you see me as your surrogate father, then I'm gonna do my fucking damnest to raise you as best as I can." "Y-You mean that, T-Tony?" "Yes, Peter, I do. I'm gonna take care of both you and aunt May, I promise." "T-Thank you, dad..!" "You're welcome, son."

The rest of the Avengers in the room didn't know what to say. Steve, however, cocked a brow when Bucky moved towards the duo. "And don't you dare forget that you've got the rest of us too." Bucky spoke, settling his metal hand on the small of Peter's back. Parker shifted his head a little and offered Bucky a weak smile. "I won't. How can I? You guys are like a second family for me." Peter confessed and he saw as a grin was painted onto each of their faces. Bucky was hesitant when Peter tugged him towards him and Tony, but relaxed when Stark offered him an open arm, getting pulled into the tender moment, though he didn't really mind.

Both men didn't care what they had to do, as long as it meant Peter was safe, and happy.


	6. Caught

Peter was hoping that Bucky could help him out. See, he's been working on something in the lab that Tony had given him and he was hoping that he could get an extra set of eyes because there was no way that that reaction was suppose to happen like it was and he needed to make sure that he wasn't seeing things. "Hey, Bu...cky..." He started, but quickly cut himself off when he saw that the man's door was cracked open, which was odd; Bucky tended to keep his door shut if he was inside. As quietly as he could, Peter crept closer to the opening of the door and what he saw had him recoiling to cover up the sound of him sucking in a large breath.

Bucky was masturbating.

 _I should come back later._ Parker knew that, give the man some privacy as he relieved some stress, but...something kept Peter there. Granted, he used his powers so he was now on the ceiling and, hopefully, less likely to be seen by Barnes, but still. Peter kept a hand over his mouth to muffle any sounds that might come from him while he watches Bucky jerk off.  _God, why am I still here?_ Was he just curious about how another man got off? Or was it more? Peter didn't know at the moment, too enraptured by how Bucky's flesh hand moved teasingly over the dark red head of his penis.

Bucky's lower lip was caught between his teeth, Peter noticing that the older man had cut his hair back to the length of when he first 'met' him during the fight at the airport.  _Fuck, he looks good like that._ His pants were popped open and resting on the middle of his hips, but that was as far down as they went; he was still wearing his boots, but nothing else, giving Peter a delicious sight of the Winter Soldier's chest, toned and defined muscles going taunt before relaxing whenever he seemed to touch sensitive places on his cock.

His strokes were slow and deliberate, teasing his shaft with his blunt nails, strongly rubbing the palm of his hand against the tip, and Parker saw the way he chewed on his lip with each spark of pleasure he must be feeling. Once again, Spider-Man felt himself begin to stir in his pants, but he wasn't gonna try and deny his body this time. It was so weird to him; he's always found Bucky attractive in a platonic way, but was he really attracted to men? His body was telling him yes, but Peter himself wasn't sure.

However, Peter found himself biting his lip the same way Bucky was when the man let out a muffled moan and his body smoothly rolled with the wave of bliss that crossed his face. Bucky had sped up his strokes now, focusing more on the head, teasing it more with both the tips of his human fingers as well as the nails, gently scraping them over the glands and wow. Bucky released his lower lip in favor of let out a low, deep, needy moan, his metal hand quickly coming up to quiet himself. Barnes's eyes had fluttered closed at this point, Peter faintly hearing the sound of flesh hitting flesh as Bucky went back to stroking his whole member.

And Peter was rock hard in his sweats. He was honestly fighting the urge to both touch himself, and walk inside of Bucky's room and let the older man touch him instead. He felt his vocal cords vibrate with a moan and he prayed that Bucky didn't hear him. It seemed like he didn't, but Peter now noticed that the man's metal hand had slipped away from his mouth and that the super soldier he was watching was mumbling something over and over, but his lips moved so faintly that he couldn't make out what he was saying. A groan left Bucky as his face started to twist tighter and Parker saw his body begin to grow taunt.  _Oh my God. Am I really gonna watch him cum?_

It seemed like he was because before Peter could do anything else, Bucky's hips jerked up harshly with a poorly muffled moan and his seed shot out, the thick, white ropes painting his abs as well as the back of his hand. He was barely sweating, breathing only a little faster than normal as the pleasure sank into his body, muscles relaxing as he sank further into his bed. "Fuck..." He finally spoke, his steel blue eyes open again and the bliss he was feeling was so clear to Peter. The teen felt that his cock was throbbing now, and he swore that he was actually leaking pre-cum from what he saw.

 _...What would it be like if he got me off? Would I feel as good as he does?_ It was obvious to Peter that Bucky jerked off  _much_ differently than he did, but he wanted to know what that felt like; he was so tempted to reveal himself and ask Bucky to pleasure him just like he does himself. Of course, that's gonna have to wait for a much later date as Tony walked into the hallway and, "Peter? What are you doing?" Bucky jerked his head to his cracked door, just now reaching over to clean himself up and heard, "N-Nothing!"

The teenager's voice was coming from higher up than normal; on the ceiling, higher up. Barnes put himself back in his pants as he hurriedly cleaned up, tossing the used tissues into the little trashcan by his bed as he stood and made his way over to his door. He opened it up fully and glanced up to the ceiling, but he only found an empty space. "Kid's fast; already left." Tony stated as he walked closer, leaning against the wall next to his door. "...Think he's been there long?" Tony shrugged. "Hard to say. I only noticed he wasn't in his lab about 20 minutes ago." Bucky chewed on his lower lip for a moment; he's been jerking off for the last half hour.

"Why? Something you didn't want the kid to see?" Tony asked and Barnes shook his head. "No. I'm just not sure why he didn't come into my room, or even knock if he was right outside; he knows I don't mind him being in my room." "Perhaps he wanted to give you some privacy for something?" Tony offered, but that only made Bucky worry a little more. Had Peter been watching him jerk off?


	7. Questions

"Tony...can I talk to you?" Stark felt a chill run down his spine from Peter's words, turning around to see the teenager standing in the doorway of the lab, holding onto one of his arms, head hanging a little low, unable to look at him. "Of course, kid." He patted the stool next to him and offered Parker a smile when he seemed to run over to the seat. "What's going on?" He asked and Peter sighed deeply, slumping onto the table, arms folded and his head resting on them. "...Is it... Is it normal to be attracted to, to another man?" Stark felt his cheeks flush a little; he knew Peter trusted him enough to talk about his private life, and that he saw him as a father figure, but he didn't think this question would be popping up so soon.

"It is. And there's nothing wrong about that, or with you. It's perfectly normal for you to feel attracted to another man." Tony spoke, fully turning to face Peter now, since he had been working on his project when the question was asked. "But, how...how do you know that you're actually attracted to men and not just finding them beautiful?" "Peter, is there someone you think you might be attracted to?" Tony bit his lip when he saw Spider-Man's cheeks turn red and he turned his head away from the older man. "...Yeah."

Peter glanced back to Tony when he placed his hand on his shoulder. "Look at me, son." He waited until he saw Peter's chocolate eyes before going on. "Do you feel ashamed to admit that?" "...Well, well no. Just...really embarrassed." Tony felt himself smiling in relief. He knows that not everyone was like him, kind of knowing his sexuality before puberty hit, but he didn't want Peter to feel ashamed for feeling something that isn't part of the 'social norm'. "Okay, so how long have you thought you might be attracted to men?" "Um, about...two or three weeks." Damn. That's much more recent than Tony originally thought.

"And do you still find yourself being attracted to women too?" "That's, that's just it. I-I think that I do, but I can't..." Peter sighed deeply. "I can't tell if I really am anymore..." "Hey, hey. It's okay." Tony hushed as he grabbed the bottom of the stool Peter was on and yanked him closer, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. "And that's perfectly fine too. It might take you a long time before you really figure yourself out, it might not. But it's not a race, Petey." "...You mean that?" "Yes. I mean, I knew that I was bisexual before I hit puberty, but it took until I was 30 before I realized that I was panromantic." "Panromantic?" "People who are pansexual or panromantic don't really 'see' the gender of someone they're interested in, they more 'see' who they really are as a person, and fall in love with who they are, rather than what gender they are. Yeah, like everyone, those who are pansexual or panromantic have preferences, but it's not based on the gender of the person."

Peter hummed. "So...it's possible that I'm pansexual?" "It's also possible that you're bisexual like me, or actually homosexual, but biromantic or panromantic." "God this is all really confusing..!" Peter groaned as he let his head greet the table and Tony gave him an affectionate laugh. "It's always confusing when you're trying to figure yourself out. And it's possible that you could be demisexual or demiromantic, since those who are tend to not really feel any kind of romantic or sexual attraction for someone until they've really gotten to know them." Peter rolled his head to the side to look at his father figure.

"...You said that I could be homosexual, but also biromantic or panromantic. I thought that if you were, ya know gay, that you were  _only_ attracted to men?" Tony nodded his head with a gentle smile. "And for some people, that's the truth. But your sexuality doesn't dictate who you have romantic feelings for." "But, if I'm in a relationship, doesn't that mean what we're doing is both romantic and sexual?" "Well yes, but that doesn't mean you can't have a solely romantic relationship either." "Huh?" Peter sat up a little bit and faced Tony a little more, the older man reaching for one of his hands, which Parker quickly offered.

Tony stroked his thumb over the back of Peter's hand before he lifted it up to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the back of it. "Now, that right there, can be as far as you take a romantic relationship." Tony chuckled when Peter's face turned bright red. "Romantic relationships are only as physical as you and your partner want to be." "What are they typically?" "Typically? Well, it's normally a lot of dates, and holding hands, and cuddling. Sometimes there's kissing in a romantic relationship, but it's not always wanted or needed." "Are you in a romantic relationship with anyone?"

Peter's question caught Tony off guard. Was he in a romantic relationship with anyone? "...I think I'm in one with Thor, Steve, and Natasha." "You think?" Peter asked with a laugh. "I'm not really sure; I tend to pamper everyone, so it's hard for me at times to really know if I'm in a romantic relationship or not." "...So what do you do then?" "I ask them if they think we are in a romantic relationship first, and if they think we aren't, ask them if they'd like to be in one with me." "What do you do if one of them says no?" "Nothing. I understand that they might not want to be in a relationship at the time, or don't want to be in one with me."

"Okay, so...um, what should I do if I'm not sure if  **I** want to be in relationship yet, but want to kinda explore who I am with them?" "You tell them exactly that. Depending on who it is, they'll be willing to help you explore yourself while still avoiding doing things you aren't ready for." "Will they do something I'm not ready for if I ask them?" "Again, that depends on who it is. But before you ask them to do something you know you aren't ready for, or aren't sure if you're ready for, I want to ask yourself just how much you  _truly_ trust them. If you feel like they might hurt you if they do the thing you're asking for, don't ask them. Being open with each other, talking to each other, and having trust in each other is absolutely  ** _key_** for a safe, sane, and healthy relationship."

"Is that why you lost Pepper?" Peter felt himself pale seconds after the question left his lips. "M-Mr. Stark! T-Tony, I-I'm sorry! I, I didn't--" Tony gently placed two fingers against Peter's lips, quieting him. "It's alright. And...yes, it's why I lost her. There was things I didn't tell her, mostly because I was too scared of how she'd react when I did, but by the time she found out what I was keeping from her, we would argue. I have trust issues, which makes it extremely hard for me to open up to people, even more so with my own PTSD--because yes, I've got that too--and then you add in my anxiety issues, drinking, and the amount of time I spend in here," Tony gestured to the lab they were still in, "and no matter how hard I try, no matter how hard my partner and I try to make our relationship work, 9 times out of 10, it's just going to fall apart."

"...Clint says that's why you need to date someone like Steve, or Rhodey, or even Natasha; people who won't put up with your bullshit, who will make sure you're taking care of yourself." "Is that what he says?" Peter nodded to Tony with a little smile, seeing as the older man's shoulders slumped back down. Tony glanced to Parker when he wiggled his stool a little closer, lost at what he was trying to do, but let out a light laugh and wrapped his arm around him tighter when the teen hugged his middle, his face nuzzled into the fabric of his shirt. "So, who's this guy that has you questioning your sexuality?" "Um...about that..."

* * *

Bucky grunted as he was slammed against the wall next to his room, Tony's hand wrapped around his throat. "Still trying to get revenge?" Bucky asked when he saw the venom in Tony's eyes. "No. But I'm giving you  _one_ warning." "About?" Bucky asked, shifting a little so he had a little height on Tony again. "If you hurt him, in anyway, I  **promise** I will make you regret it." Bucky cocked a brow, confused. "What do you mean? If I hurt who?"

"Peter."

Bucky, who had been shifting a little more to try and get leverage against the shorter man, stilled. Tony, after noticing that, released his grasp on the ex-HYDRA assassin, taking a step back to give him a little more space. "I'm not sure when he'll talk to you about it, but...he's told me that he's attracted to you." Barnes chewed on his lower lip. "...What?" "You and I both know that I've flirted with him before, but I...I didn't think..." Tony shook his head. "I mean, that might have been part of it, but he's questioning who he really is. As far as he knew, he was just part of the 'social norm' and attracted to woman."

"And then he started to have more than friend feelings for me..." Bucky spoke, putting the pieces together. "...You can't hurt him." Tony spoke up and Bucky gave the man a shy grin, opening up his arms and let the shorter man into his embrace. Bucky had made it his mission after Tony had cleared him, Steve, and the others of their charges and were welcomed back into the United States to properly apologize to Tony for the things he had done, even if he wasn't in control when they happened; it was during one of these many attempts to actually apologize to Stark that he had found him drunk and took the man back to his room so he didn't get hurt--or more drunk.

It was right as Bucky was going to leave the man that he grabbed his metal arm and spilled  _years_ of bottle up emotions to him. Howard Stark turned out to not be the best of fathers, which disappointed Steve greatly when Bucky told him everything Tony did; the man had publicly shamed Tony for being bisexual, and he never accepted Tony after he came out. The emotional neglect was real, Tony begging Bucky for answers of why his father never accepted him, asking him if there was something wrong with him because he was attracted to both men and women.

Steve was the only one Bucky trusted enough back during the war to know that he was bisexual. Unlike Tony, however, Bucky had someone who supported and accepted him when he came out. Having been forced to keep his sexual orientation a secret while he was in the military, Bucky knew how hard it was to keep those kinds of dark feelings at bay. He had sat down on Tony's bed, pulled the sobbing man into his arms, and told him--flat out  **told** him--that there was nothing wrong with him, that he didn't know why his father couldn't let go of his ego for long enough to accept the wonderful man Tony was, and he stayed with the man until the following morning.

Bucky understood the fear he heard in Tony's voice when he said that Bucky couldn't hurt Peter: Tony doesn't want his adopted son to go through what he did when he was a teenager. "If I do, then ignore whatever Steve, or anyone, says and kick the fucking shit out of me." Tony gripped Bucky's shirt a little tighter, nodding his head as he tried to keep from making noise as the tears feel down his face. "Hey, Buck, I... What happened?!" Barnes turned his head to see Steve running down the hall towards them, worry on his face. "He's had a rough bump in his day so far." Bucky told his friend and Steve nodded his head.

Tony jumped when he felt Steve's hand touch the small of his back, but relaxed when he started to rub circles into the area. "Wanna watch a movie?" "Can...Bucky and Peter join?" Only the Winter Solider knew the real reason Tony asked that, but he kept silent about it. "Of course. FRIDAY, can you call Peter to the second floor commons?" Steve asked as he carefully took Tony out of Bucky's arms and cradled him against his chest like a child, the three men heading towards the named area as FRIDAY confirmed the request.


End file.
